The Dancer Upstairs, John Malkovich's directorial debut is a political thriller that makes you think. You care about the characters on both sides of the struggle, the corrupt government officials and the revolutionary terrorists. It is an interesting challenge to see a story and leave the theater wondering who are the good guys?

A police commander is given an assignment to rout out a terrorist organization that is threatening to bring down the government in an unnamed South American country; though the story is based on actual events in Peru. Both the commander and the dance instructor he becomes romantically involved with operate on multiple levels of sophistication in their personal and political lives.

It's fascinating to see a political film that challenges you to draw uncomfortable conclusions. One could speculate about the corrupt government in South America and the actions of the terrorists, or debate Iraq, or look at your personal response to 9/11. That would be a stretch because the film was completed long before the invasion of Iraq or even the events on 9/11.

Malkovich believes that about 10 years is needed to do justice to making a film about Iraq because "Only history is the judge of what's right or wrong." While one tends to assume that politically active movie actors and directors are all Michael Moore and Susan Sarandon liberals (other than Bruce Willis, Charlton Heston and a few others), the situation is not quite that simple. Although the movie has a certain slant toward the government being evil, ergo the bad guys, the terrorists, are anything but glorified. Malkovich says, "…often our language is raped." He continues, "Suicide means killing yourself and not others." Is there such a thing as a suicide bomber?

If there is a message in the film it's not from the point of view of the left or right political spectrum. Malkovich says he wants to "…show what people do…to show the cost of things." Yes, the movie is complicated, but Malkovich questions, "Aren't people's everyday lives complicated?" He believes a film must not just be complex, but the story must be compelling. From this standpoint, he takes the position that it's not unreasonable to ask people to watch, listen and think when they see a movie. He's not an elitist, as evidenced by the fact that later this year he stars in a film called Johnny English (a runaway hit in Europe), a thriller with a touch of fun that covers action and comedy along with family adventure. It's rated PG for comic nudity, some crude humor and language, which puts it at the extreme opposite of The Dancer Upstairs.

Although Malkovich still cares passionately for Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, which he co founded, his focus is now on acting and his movie production company. Because of his history with theatre, it's interesting to get his take on the difference between acting on the stage and in film. He says that theatre "…is a living relationship" because it's very different when you have to do something every night as compared to getting it right just once for a movie. In a film, one shot is good enough if it's what you need, even if you don't understand what you're doing.

Malkovich is no longer a struggling actor but he remembers quite well how long it took to earn his spurs. For more than seven years he acted on stage and never made more than $40 a week. He says that film is a way of talking to people and if the audience connects to what is conveyed, they are speaking back to him. The Dancer Upstairs is like most fine films in that it plays on different levels. If you just want fairly light entertainment, it speaks to you. If you are really paying attention, it hollers. What it asks is for you to decide. Just who are the good guys and bad guys and what does it mean in today's world? Either way, if you are interested in a film that helps you understand better what's going on our planet, don't miss it.